Muhammad’s ministry as a prophet who preached monotheism had gotten well off the ground in Mecca by 622 CE. He had gathered a following of Muslims and instructed them to practice non-violence and personal “jihad” (struggle) to overcome one’s carnal resistance to submission.  But then came persecution. Just as Jesus angered the Pharisees by overturning the tables of the moneychangers, Muhammad angered the polytheist authorities by removing all 360 idols from the Kaaba. This both insulted the polytheistic culture and threatened to interfere with trade from polytheistic merchants from out of town. [Read more…] about Jesus in the Quran, Part Two